When she next opened her eyes, she found Jiro by her side, who had apparently shaken her awake. " Are you alright?"
Sora shook her head, jolting the feathers still stuck in her hair, then nodded. Not far from her, Midoriya had just come to as well.
" Surprisingly, none of us was hurt after being engulfed by that thing," Jiro pointed out as she took out her phone.
So it wasn't some kind of attack… then…
Sora took in her surroundings for the first time. They were in a forest, and it extended for miles. Albeit, something felt wrong about it.
" It's… so quiet… like, there is no breeze moving the leaves or any kind of animals around…" As she mumbled to herself, Midoriya's eyes went wide.
" Could it be…" he jumped to his feet and inspected a tree trunk, then he knocked on it twice. " As I expected, this tree is empty from the inside; it's an imitation. Nothing of this is real."
Sora's mind quickly caught up. " Could it be the thing from earlier!"
" Is probably what created this." He looked up at the sky. Sora did the same, and she frowned.
" Even that is fake. I can see it's a hologram."
" But how could he create something as big as this…" Midoriya tapped his chin in thought.
It was then that Sora took notice of Ojiro, who had climbed the highest tree in sight and was flailing his phone around, probably trying to get a signal. But it didn't work.
" And I don't hear anything nearby either," Jiro told them.
Sora looked down at her hands when something came to mind. " I… was holding onto two kids…"
" Now that you mention it…" Uraraka began, her voice low and her expression shifting to that of concern.
" We were trying to get the civilians out as well…" Hagakure stated.
" But only we did wake up here," Sero folded his arms and shook his head with a sigh. " We don't know if they were brought along or whether they survived the whole ordeal."
" Then that's our first order of action," Midoriya held out a finger. " Let's scout around and try to find out if anyone else got sucked or if it was only us. If they were, we have to make sure they're safe."
" Then, we can look for an exit," Sero added as they all stood up, ready to move.
" Yeah."
" Okay then, let me scout around first!" With that declaration, Sora stretched two silver wings and climbed over the trees…
—-------------------
" Wh… Wh .. What the hell is this place?!" Bakugo yelled upon taking in their surroundings.
" An amusement park." Tokoyami, Yuu, and Kirishima answered in unison.
" I can see that much!"
" Hey, look! The carousel works." Ashido pointed out as she had already mounted a white horse.
" Stop playing around!"
Yuu's eyes widened. " No, wait a minute, this might be some important piece of information."
" Explain yourself, baggy eyes!"
Yuu covered his ears and winced as Bakugo turned to shout at him. " Please bear in mind that I hear 3 times better than the average human…"
Yuu closed his eyes as if to marshal his thoughts. " We've been swallowed by the wave of light, and then we find ourselves in this place. That means there are two possibilities: either we were teleported, or the whole thing was constructed from the same light we've been drowned in."
" It's the second," Bakugo stated calmly as his eyes scanned their surrounding. " You can tell from those plants. And there are no air currents around."
" He's actually working his mind." Ashido marvelled.
" I'm no idiot, you damn eyes!"
" Either way, Bakugo-san, if you had figured that much, then you should be concerned as well about why these things work."
" Huh?" It was then that Bakugo's eyes widened in realization, and he held a hand to his mouth. " They need some sort of energy to make it functional."
Yuu nodded. " Only one thing comes to mind that could provide energy in this space constructed from a Quirk."
" The ship they were boarding. Which means…" He smirked as he looked over his shoulder at the spiralling carousel and the cable extending from it. " We might just find our way to that damned imposter!"
And he dashed forward towards the castle at the center of the amusement park, followed by the rest…
—-------------------
Sora was flying around, followed by her friends on the ground, when she finally stopped abruptly. This is… a wall? I reach the edge already.
Before she could warn her friends, Midoriya ran straight into it.
" Sorry, I should have warned you sooner…" She bowed her head as she flew back to the ground. Midoriya, who was nursing his nose, waved it off.
" Either way, now we're sure there is definitely a way out of here," she said, tapping the mural. " This is definitely a physical space. It's not like some pocket dimension or something. Which means, if we can break this wall, maybe we can even get out."
" Should we give it a try?" Midoriya looked up at her, and she gave a nod of affirmation.
Their friends stepped back while she covered her arm in feathers, and Midoriya gleaned his energy in one leg that began glowing red. They direct their attacks at the mural and the dust stirred up.
However, when it settled, there was no dent in the wall.
" That's a lie! Midoriya and Sora's attacks didn't work?" Jiro cried in surprise.
" It's not that it didn't work." Sora breathed out as she clenched and unclenched her fist.
Midoriya inspected the wall. " It's strong and all, but… You saw it too, right?" He looked back at his classmate.
" Ah," Sora confirmed. " We definitely made a dent. But the wall mended itself in a heartbeat."
" Breaking it won't be a solution then…" Midoriya looked up.
It was then that Hagakure pulled their attention to the manhole lid behind them.
Midoriya removed the lid, allowing them to peek inside. It seemed deep and was too dark to make out just how far it might go.
" But there is no other thing that seems like an exit around," Sero pointed out.
" We need to investigate it then," Jiro added.
It was decided that both Uraraka and Midoriya would be most suitable to take a look, given their Quirks, they could make it back easily.
They went in while the rest bent over, listening to any signs or calls from the two in case it was a trap.
It wasn't long before Uraraka emerged, telling them that Midoriya's Quirk had been erased.
" Do they have someone like Aizawa-sensei on their side?" Sora cocked her head.
" That would make things even harder." Ojiro sighed.
" Better hurry up and catch up with him. If I pull enough tape now, I won't need to use my Quirk eventually," Sero told them as he drew on his tape and let it down into the tunnel.
" Shirogane's wings, too. So long as they're already out, you will still be able to fly."
Sora blinked as she looked down at the small hole. " But I won't be able to fit in. Guess I will have to give up on flying for that part. What's more important is to catch up with Midoriya as soon as possible."
Everyone else nodded their approval…
—-------------------
Bakugo being, well, Bakugo, blasted right through the front door of the castle.
" No stealth at all…" Yuu sighed.
" Sneaking is for the weak! We're facing them head-on!" Bakugo wore a rather terrifying smirk as he raced through the halls of the castle. " There is no need to be wary of that damned fake! Like I would humor him."
That's right… This one, too, is a fan of All Might… Yuu gulped as he saw the fire in Bakugo's eyes. You have my condolences, fake All Might…
" I just hope you're right in this," Sato mumbled just as they came out into a hall.
A laugh made them halt and look up the stairs where the person impersonating All Might stood, welcoming them. His outfit changed from the white tux to a black suit and a red cloak.
" So you're the damned fake!"
" It's Dark Might. I've just decided on it moments ago. Stylish, isn't it?"
Yuu's eyes frowned as he looked at the short man standing by his side, donning a jester's clothes. What are they playing at…
" What do you intend by bringing us here?"
" Did you ever wonder why All Might was respected by the whole world?" The man shifted from one pose to the other as he spoke, as though showcasing his strength. " People are attracted to strength, you see. Power provides entertainment! This facility, Symbol of Paradise, is a landmark dedicated to peace! Let's see if any among you are worthy of being dubbed protectors of my palace."
Yuu's eyes narrowed. " Protectors?"
" If you pass the test, you can become my knight! We'll celebrate my official rebirth as a legendary figure. Together, we'll make history. Raise your hand if you understand. Hai!"
The children stood there, mouths gaping at the man before them.
" I understand now, you're a lunatic…" Yuu blurted.
" Indeed!" Bakugo agreed as he held one hand up. " Do you understand how idiotic you just sounded!"
" You brats still don't get it!" He snapped at them. " It's show time!"
Just then, the ground beneath them gave way, and they found themselves falling freely into some kind of underground labyrinth.
Thankfully, the fall wasn't steep, and they managed to land on their own feet. Yuu's eyes immediately scanned around for any danger. " This place…" Somehow, Yuu found it familiar.
" It seems like some kind of game's dungeon," Kirishima remarked.
" Is that what he meant by entertainment?" Sato wondered.
" That person is rather insane!"
Koda's cry was what snapped them back into focus. Upon turning around, they found themselves surrounded by monsters from every side.
" So we will need to conquer this dungeon, huh?" Bakugo smirked as his blasts sparked in his palms.
" First things first, let's just get out of here." Ashido took a fighting pose.
Kirishima's skin hardened. " This isn't even a challenge."
Sato swallowed his own sugar cubes, strengthening his muscles while Tokoyami called forth Dark Shadow.
Koda looked worriedly among the monsters when Yuu stepped up to him. " Don't bother about it, Koda-san. Those are not living things. They have no souls within them, so your Quirk won't work on them."
Koda's eyes dropped. Considering the place they were in, there were no animals to lend him their help. He was all but hopeless.
It was then that Yuu turned around to him, eyes glowing even brighter, and four blue flames ignited on Koda's shoulders, taking him by surprise. As they faded away, they revealed small hedgehog-like animals, but their spikes were made of crystal. " You guys!"
" These little ones have been wanting to see you again, Koda-san," Yuu couldn't help the small smile that manifested on his face before he shifted to seriousness again. " I'll leave them in your care. They're quite strong, and I believe you will be able to handle them and stay safe."
" Seijin-kun…" Koda's eyes widened slightly before he nodded. " We'll be fine, don't worry about us."
Yuu gave a nod before he turned around, the color of his hair shifting as some tufts turned yellow. " I can't summon you in this narrow space, but I'm borrowing your strength, Thunderbird!" In a blink, he was practically coated in yellow lightning before turning to face the first monsters that made for him, arm raised to crush him.
" Not so easily!" He quickly dodged the arm and rounded on the pink beast, electrifying it. " Come! I can take more of you!"
As if on cue, the monsters lunged at him, only to be thrown back by the shockwave from the electricity.
" I'm not on Kaminari-san's level yet when it comes to the discharge," he looked down at his hand still coated in lightning and shaking from the force. " But this will work."
Koda managed to keep the monsters at bay using the searing, concentrated light beams emitted from the small spirits' crystals.
At the very least, he was safe and could defend himself.
From the shadows, Yuu caught sight of small cameras that were recording them. So someone must be in control of all of this. He deduced.
Still… Something feels familiar… He blinked twice as a memory from long ago resurfaced.
" It can't be…" He frowned. " Only one way to figure out…"
He fell back, so he was back-to-back with Bakugo.
" What's the matter, baggy eyes? Scared and need protection?!" Bakugo scoffed.
" You would have kicked me away if it were the case," Yuu retorted. " More importantly, listen carefully, Bakugo-san…"
Bakugo's eyes narrowed at his explanation. " Are you sure of this?"
" We've got no better option as of now. There is no end to those monsters, and they will probably keep coming even after we finish them."
" Very well, let's give it a try!"...